Keep moving

Keep moving

We all know that exercise is very important for our well-being. But how much and what kind of exercise?

I know that it can become quite difficult to get the needed steps into your daily routine even if you set out with the best intentions. Lets face it, we all sit too much. And here is the advice you may have read somewhere else a hundred times: Try and leave the car as much as possible. Go for a little walk in your lunch break and use the stairs instead of the lift. You can even contemplate doing the same thing as my old neighbour use to do. He went for a walk every evening around the block and that way got all the new gossip of the neighbourhood as well as the exercise. Bonus here!

I noticed that some people have taken up exercise classes or even running. My advice here: Don't overdo it. I always feel nervous when I see people running or cycling up hills and being really red in the face. They sometimes do it in the heat of the day. This cannot be good for your health and they definitely don't look as if they enjoy themselves. 

It also always freaks me out when I read about the casualties in Marathons, or when I see the highly distressed runners at events. So think about what happened to the first person who ran a Marathon. He died but at least he had a purpose to run. 

Maybe you could try and do purposeful exercise. Instead of going by car to do the shopping, use your push bike. Or use your bike for the next trip to the garden centre or the outing on Sunday. What about a nice walk next Sunday to the next pub for lunch? By that way you can have a beer as well because you are not driving. Bonus here as well! 

I think it is more healthy to incorporate exercise in our everyday life instead of doing a particular exercise like running or doing classes. What is the point of driving to the gym and then getting on an exercise bike to warm up? Wouldn't it be better to get to the gym by bike instead? Think about how you can incorporate the exercise you need into your daily routine, but I do understand that not everybody is able to walk to work. It is definitely worth thinking about it instead of risking your life by imposing unusual stress on your system by doing strenuous exercise you only do once in a blue moon. So keep moving but keep safe as well.

Photograph by Roger Giraud-Saunders